Monday, October 29, 2012

Bly {part 5}

"Have a safe journey, ambassador!" The small, wrinkled old dwarven woman waved as Bly left with the small food pack that had been set aside for their journey. Bly waved back, and smiled at the food keeper.
She continued to where Adonis and Xander were discussing which route to take, or, arguing, rather.
"We should go straight, as a bird flies" Adonis pounded his fist unto his open palm for emphasis "it's the fastest route"
"Perhaps, but it will carry us through Fort Hallows, and risking that isn't worth the speed" Xander was trying to keep his calm, but it was clear he was losing it.
"If we go through it at night-"
"Adonis! Are you an idiot?! Night or day, they will have sentries posted, and I'm not exactly a forgettable face"
Adonis crossed his arms, "Wear a mask"
Xander sighed dramatically, "ah yes. That solves simply everything. Thank you, Oh wise Dragon one. The sentries will just let a two men, one mysteriously masked, and an Elven woman pass into and through their city with no suspicions"
Bly stifled a smile, "Adonis, I understand you want to get there in a hurry, I do too. Nairi's health hangs in the balance, Xander realizes that, but passing through Hallows isn't a wise idea. Skirting it will only add a few hours, nothing serious, please understand" she rested her hand on his shoulder, "We are going to do our best to get there quickly".
Adonis sighed, "A few hours may make the difference for Nairi" he shrugged Bly's hand off, and walked away, kicking at stones as he went.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Xander gasped and ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I've never met one as stubborn as he, I'm used to being obeyed, not argued with".
Bly chuckled, and set her food basket down, "Then I suggest you learn to argue; Dragons aren't know for their great submission. Even Felix can't control them all, you know that. Though, I wonder how he controls them at all..."
Xander peeped into the basket, "He doesn't, Andromeda does".
Confusion settled across Bly's face, "Andromeda?"
Xander looked up, "yes, surely you sw her when you and Tenzin held conference with Felix. Dark hair, Violet eyes, milky skin, smells like Dying roses-"
"How would you know that?"
Now Xander was the confused one, "know what?"
"The dying rose part"
"Oh" he smiled, and his eyes teased, though he didn't say the word, she knew he was thinking It. "Well, I've walked past Andromeda enough times to get an idea of how she smells"
Bly nodded, "I just wondered"
Again, the teasing in his eyes, and she looked away, suddenly needing to rearrange all the food.
"I think I did see her, Behind Felix. But she just sat in a dark corner, watching us, I ignored her, as she made me uncomfortable"
Xander chuckled, "She has the uncanny habit of doing that"
Bly frowned, "But something is wrong with her"
"Something? I dare say a great many things are" Xander shouldered a pack,"She is great many years younger then Felix, yet loves him" then he reddened, "not that, that's wrong...but them both being human, I mean, between races it's to be, you know, uh, expected, b-but, in the same race..."
Bly refrained from laughing as he stumbled over his words, "of course, between races it's to be expected".
Xander nodded quickly, and picked up the second pack, "I think I'll just, uh, put these away" he hurried away.
Bly smiled as he strode off, still crimson from his remark.
But her smile was slowly eaten away by a frown, Xander believed Andromeda was a human, and yet, she clearly wasn't. But that was where Bly was lost. She had no idea what the woman was. She bit her lip, she needed to find Kaymele, and talk it over with her....

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Kaymele
was stitching up a torn britches when Bly found her. "Have they put you
to work?" Bly asked, sitting beside her. Kaymele frowned, and dumped
another garment on Bly's lap, "mind helping? This isn't at all to my
liking"

Bly
nodded, and quickly threaded a needle, "I learned to do this quite
well, my brother Thalion was always ripping his clothes whenever he went
'exploring'. I had to mend them before Mother, or worse yet, Lithônien,
found out"

"You have two brothers?" Kaymele asked, stabbing herself with a needle and wincing.

Bly nodded, "Thalion and Lithônien, both older then I"

Kaymele
smiled sadly, "siblings, are..." She sighed and trailed off, her eyes
saddened, and for a moment, her confident exterior cracked, showing a
very grieved heart. and then she looked up quickly, "I'm sorry, did you
come for a reason?" Her normal brisk self back.

"Oh yes, it's probably nothing, but, you being older, and perhaps more experienced, I thought to come to you"

Kaymele nodded, "and?"

"Have
you heard of Andromeda, the King's...." Bly couldn't find a word,
Xander had made her sound important, and she loved Felix apparently, but
just where Andromeda fit, Bly didn't know.

"The King's assistant, helper, lover, friend?" Kaymele asked.

"Y-yes, you have heard of her?"

"Nithron had told me of her"

Bly nodded, "has he seen her?"

Kaymele
stuck herself again and made an aggravated noise, "No, but he has heard
about her from the spies inside Aragathia. She is apparently Felix's
right hand. Why do you ask?"

Bly sighed, "I was hoping I could learn what she was".

Kaymele raised an eyebrow, "can't you do that? Her aurora colors, I know you can see them"

Bly shook her head, "no, I mean, yes. I can. But hers were...confusing"

Kaymele set the garment down, and leaned closer, "Explain".

Bly cleared her throat, "It was black. But occasionally I'd see flickers in it, like flames. But, it was also white"

Kaymele shook her head, "impossible"

"But it was! She had two colors, both very different. And, she was ancient"

Kaymele frowned, "how could you tell?"

Bly looked down, "I don't know. I just knew. But, her body wasn't"

Kaymele's eyes grew round, "that adds an interesting twist"

Bly looked confused, "it does?"

Kaymele nodded slowly, "the black with flames, the ancient soul, new
body, the two colors, yes. It reminds me of something I heard a long
time ago..."

Kaymele was silent for a long while, before she apparently remembered
Bly's presence. "Go, it's getting later in the day, and you must surely
have a lot of work, don't let it worry you"

Bly smiled, "I hope you unpuzzle what she is, and, if you fashion a
finger cap from leather, you won't prick your finger so" she winked, and
waltzed out. Leaving Kaymele to her sewing

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The sun was barely rubbing its eyes on the horizon when they set off. Bly on Ciar, Xander on Rudy, Adonis on a borrowed steed, and a pack mule tethered to Rudy's saddle.
Adonis was still disgruntled by having to go around Fort Hallows, and wasn't speaking to either of his traveling companions. Instead, urging his horse forward at an unfair speed.
The first part of the day passed silently as not much conversation was warranted as they hurried along.
Finally, they stopped to rest their animals.
"What can we expect when we get to Voronwë?" Xander caught the apple Bly tossed him, and polished against his tunic. At Nithron's suggestion, he had changed from his Aragathian uniform before they left, opting instead for a garb of browns and greens.
"We can except more pointy eared people" Adonis called from where he was sitting. Not facing either of them, but clearly listening to their conversation.
"That, and one of the most beautiful cities you've ever seen" Bly replied, politely handing him an apple too, instead of tossing it at his red head as she desired to do.
"I'm sorry, but my knowledge of cities is rather limited to Aragathia, Revelin, Voronwë, and Drago Montagna" Adonis took a rather large bite from the apple and scooted to the opposite side of the tree.
"Anyway, pointy ears and beautiful cities aside, what can we expect?" Xander leaned against another tree.
Bly sat down on a log, after carefully dusting away the collection of leaves and dirt on it. "I imagine my people don't even know of my capture, so there won't be a great throng of attention. And I'll have to inform them of Tenzin's death"
"Will that cause great grief?"
Bly met his eyes, "we live for great expanses of time, but that doesn't numb the pain of when one of us does. Those closest to Tenzin will go into a very long mourning period, but everyone else will extend their sympathies, and speak kind words to the mourning"
Xander nodded, "and what about you?" She noticed his aurora colors wavering, 'he is worried, why?'.
"I may not have the luxury of a extended mourning period" as soon as she said it, his colors returned to normal. Causing her even more confusion.
Adonis reappeared from behind his tree, "so, how long does it take horses to rest anyway?"

Its short, but I think I got enough done in it to keep us going for awhile. ;) Sarah, your turn! Kathrine, I hope you don't mind how I portrayed Adonis. And...we need to involve Anna's peeps more.